Senior Gaming Realms duo depart
B2B head Simon Smiley and CTO David Hampstead leave firm to launch a new non-gaming start-up with former Gaming Realms colleague Tom Gooding
Gaming Realms’ head of B2B partnerships, Simon Smiley, and chief technology officer (CTO), David Hampstead, have both left the firm to launch a new China-focused ecommerce start-up, eGaming Review has learned.
The senior duo left operator in recent weeks to launch Samarkand Global, a London-based technology and service provider designed to help European retailers build their brand and sales in China.
Smiley, who is chief operating officer of the new venture, was CMO at Gaming Realms for nearly three years and one of the co-founders of egaming-focused digital marketing firm QuickThink Media (QTM).
He was CEO of QTM from 2013 until it was sold to Amiya earlier this year and was also COO and co-founder of social gaming business bejig, which was acquired by Gaming Realms in August 2013 for £5.5m.
Smiley was most recently in charge of leading the operator’s partnerships and new business strategy, including deals with FreemantleMedia to launch X Factor Games and a Britain’s Got Talent-branded casino.
Following his departure, Nicola Longmuir has been named as Smiley’s successor following previous roles at Lean Forward Ltd (Win Cash Live) and Sky Betting and Gaming.
Paul Munro, operations director of its Guernsey-based Bear Group subsidiary, is now also acting marketing director for Gaming Realms’ real-money operations.
Hampstead has become CEO of Samarkand Global after nearly three years as CTO at Gaming Realms. He also worked with Smiley at bejig and QTM and has been replaced as CTO by the operator’s head of client engineering Paul Gambrell.
Both Smiley and Hampstead have teamed up with former Gaming Realms CTO and bejig CEO Tom Gooding to launch Samarkand Global with Gooding named CTO at the firm.